Katya Moorman has two great loves: Fashion and NYC. Her blog, Style Defined NYC, combines these two passions – and gives us a glimpse into the world of style in the city that never sleeps. We sat down with the uber-cool blogger to learn a thing or two about the fashion fresh on the streets of Manhattan.

Rue La La: Explain street style.
Katya: It’s a sense of individuality. It’s fearlessness, a sense of “now” and knowing fashion well enough to deconstruct or comment on a trend. It also involves the ability to break away from fashion uniforms – the little black dress tends to be safe and boring no matter how you accessorize it.

Rue La La: What makes someone’s style truly compelling?
Katya: Boldness and confidence. This might seem like an easy answer, but it’s the truth! While NYC is considered an “anything goes” place in terms of fashion, in reality it’s full of little style tribes that follow each other: the skinny jean androgynous boys, the “intentionally quirky” Brooklyn girls, the Gossip Girl wannabes in the Meatpacking District. But it’s the people who aren’t afraid to step outside their tribe that captures my attention.

Rue La La: Do you have any favorite styles?
Katya: I really like style with a sense of humor that borders on kooky! Lady Gaga and the late Isabella Blow both know how to do that. And the Japanese seem to have this down better than any other culture.

Rue La La: What can we learn from great street style (especially this fall)?
Katya: Try to add the unexpected. For example: I don’t see the DIY shredded trend going away yet, so the natural progression is to see it moving from T-shirts to sweaters. But if you’re going to do that, instead of taking an oversized black sweater (soooo predictable!), find a small pink angora cardigan or a preppy tennis sweater.

Rue La La: Can you fill us in on some of the styles you expect to see on the streets of NYC this fall?
Katya: Men’s cardigans as jackets, socks with platform sandals and boots, layered leggings (i.e., tights with fishnets over them, sheer stockings with over-the-knee socks, loose/short legwarmers, headscarves or turbans, punk/new wave-influenced hairstyles, men’s vintage boots (on both men and women), and of course black-black-black.

Rue La La: Any favorite places to people/stylewatch?
Katya: I love scoping out the urban middle school girls on the subway. They have their own, very specific style that’s fun to observe.

Rue La La: Where do you find your fashion inspiration?
Katya: New York City is my playground. I love to go to the club nights hosted by Kenny Kenny, Ladyfag, or Amanda Lepore where young gay fashionistas and full-on drag queens come out to play. Their style is amazing, and I often see things here months before anywhere else.